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Russia to deliver mobile laboratory to fight Ebola in Guinea

The Ebola outbreak that started in January 2014 became the longest and most deadly in the history of Africa

ST. PETERSBURG, August 20. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia will help Guinea to fight a deadly Ebola virus, planning to send a modern mobile laboratory to Africa next week.

Meanwhile, chief of the laboratory of microbiology, virology and HIV infection of the Pasteur Institute, Candidate of Medical Sciences Alexander Semenov went back from an office mission to Guinea where he determined the place for a laboratory. On Wednesday, he will fly back to Guinea from where the Ebola epidemic started spreading.

Several other Russian epidemiologists will also fly to the African country “to do the most difficult work - complex specialized diagnostic laboratory tests".

In March, Russian consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor has introduced tougher measures to bar Ebola from getting into the country. Epidemiological control has been tightened at Russian airports for people coming from African countries, and medicines were stocked for express diagnostic tests.

The Ebola outbreak that started in January 2014 became the longest and most deadly in the history of Africa. The World Health Organization reported that the number of Ebola-infected people reached 2,240 on August 19, 1,229 cases were deadly.

Ebola virus was first discovered in Zaire, presently the Democratic Republic of Congo, in 1976. Before this outbreak, the virus has never been reported in West Africa and has never spread to cities.